easy updo ideas...

[RachelRain]

Hi, I'm new. I've kinda lurked for a while, but only recently decided to actually register. :)

I need EASY updo ideas for my hair. It's past my butt, and the only thing I can do quickly and fairly easily is braids, but those are kind of boring. And I usually leave it down, but it gets in the way a lot. I actually got it stuck in the washing machine this morning because it slipped over my arm while I was stuffing the clothes in it. And the other day it fell into my bucket of soapy (dirty) floor water while I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor. That was disgusting. So I need help - please?

I've googled, and all, but the directions I've seen for most of them are confusing for some reason. I don't know why.

[Gumball]

Nautilus buns are great, quick, and very easy! All you need is a stick to secure it. :D

[RachelRain]

I can't believe it, but a bun didn't even occur to me, and I used to wear those all the time in college. Slow moment, lol.

Thanks, I'll have to give that a try. I've never been able to figure out those hair sticks though, it always falls back out.

[YesitsReal]

Torrin Paige has some awesome YouTube videos, and they range from super basic easy-peasy stuff to harder. Plus, she's good at making the directions simple, and you can watch her do them (no more deciphering written hairstyle directions!).

[RachelRain]

I think that would help immensely. I threw a wicked hissy fit (even if it was only for about 20 seconds) yesterday because I got about halfway through something and then couldn't figure out the rest of the directions. lol.

Thank you, I'll go look that up right now!

[countryhopper]

A warning:

Buns= hairsticks and forks and here that means one thing: enabling. Check out the hair accessories thread! Lots of beauties over there! :D

[RachelRain]

Excellent, I'll go check that out now. I haven't used anything except hair elastics since I lost my favorite hair clippie... it was the only one that refused to break when used in my hair, no matter how much hair I crammed into it.

God, but I miss that clippie.

[Loreley]

A cinnamon bun is the easiest, but you can try a knot bun or a figure 8 bun. They are pretty simple. :)

[RachelRain]

I think the only bun I ever really mastered was the quick, vaguely sloppy 'grab the hair at the end, twist it a few times and then run it in circles and secure it with a scrunchie' type bun.

I'm kind of a perfectionist... I've been known to take braids down ten times and fix them because I feel one tiny bump somewhere in it... I drive my mother nuts and she refuses to do my hair anymore. lol.

[RachelRain]

I just youtubed the cinnamon bun thing... man, what she does in less than a minute takes me more like five. Nice.

[lesbia]

I think a nice and really easy updo could be the lazy wrap bun, there are a video http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm169/savuinen/?action=view&current=j001.flv

I wish it could be useful :)

[RachelRain]

Oh, wow, that's awesome. And her not moving like lightning makes it easier to know where to put the sticks. Thank you! I'm gonna try that one when my hair finishes drying later.

[RachelRain]

Woo. Managed to get two pens in my hair to hold up a bun - something I've been unsuccessfully trying to do since I was like 15, between my hair chopping temper tantrums.

Thank you guys for the bun ideas... I'm not messing with this one until it starts to fall out, but I'll try one of the other ones when it does and see if I can do it.

[jasper]

I read about one the other day that is a really easy way to use a hair stick. You make a single english braid, then weave the stick through the hair right above it, making sure to pick up scalp hair on the way. Then you wind the braid around behind the stick until you run out of length and tuck the tassel end under.

and I think the lazy wrap is the easiest, neatest thing ever.

For me, hair sticks are easier, more secure than hair pins. Look for video tutorials.

[RachelRain]

Never used a hair pin (same as bobby pins, right?) either... I've always used clips or scrunchies. And I haven't been able to use a clip since well before I got together with my boyfriend, so coming up on 8 or 9 years now. They snap clean in half. Come to think of it, so do most scrunchies. I honestly don't remember, but that must be what started me on the constant down-or-braid thing so long ago.

Another question, and I only ask because I notice already that my bun is dragging down, even though I put it up as high as I could - how do you get it to not drag downwards and stay where you put it? That's where the pins come in, right?

I've really rarely done anything with my hair, ever. Not that it's not obvious with the questions I'm coming up with...

[RachelRain]

Hm. I'm gonna try that next, although I'd hafta use a pen instead of a hairstick :) thank you. I'm gonna hafta get a notebook, lol.

[merseaone]

Excellent, I'll go check that out now. I haven't used anything except hair elastics since I lost my favorite hair clippie... it was the only one that refused to break when used in my hair, no matter how much hair I crammed into it.

God, but I miss that clippie.

I use these small clear plastic elastic bands and they work great! I sometimes will make a ponytail kinda high on the head, braid it until it is so small you can't braid it anymore, then take a clear band, tuck the very end under and wrap it with a clear band. Then wrap the braid around the center of the the original braid and tuck the end under. Use a hair stick to decorate and keep hair in place.

[jasper]

The trick to keeping it where you put it is to get scalp hair when you put the stick through. You're kind of weaving it down under and back up.
I start the lazy wrap kind of low or at ear level, and it doesn't usually move. My hair isn't very heavy, though.

I think of hair pins as U-shaped. Bobby pins are the flattened ones (which my hair spits out.)

You might try small or mini jaw clips. I can secure a cinnamon bun with a couple of those grabbing the edges of the bun plus scalp hair.

[RachelRain]

Hm. I thought I snagged the pen through right, but it'll obviously hafta take some practice. It's still secure, it's just dragging down...

You're so lucky if your hair isn't heavy. When wet, I have to be careful not to turn my head too fast and I have to position my head a certain way if I'm letting my hair hang over stuff - I've hurt my neck pretty bad the the first way, and my entire scalp hurts the second way. Super fun.

I think I know which pins you're referring to now. I think I used to have some sparkly ones, but I don't remember ever using them. And I'm sure I have some mini clips somewhere, I used to use those for bangs everytime I grew them out. Didn't even think of those, though. Thanks again!

[RachelRain]

merseaone, that sounds pretty... and relatively easy, too. I'll have to remember that the next time I braid my hair and want it out of the way. The last few days I've just been wrapping it around my neck and tucking it under... like a coiling snake. Probably not wise, but oh well.

[GRU]

The Chinese Bun might be an easy place to start -- it uses an elastic and a stick, so the stick stays in place more easily: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=15

Also, you can find the whole big list of buns and instructions here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=41073 -- just scroll down to the fifth and sixth post.

[Khiwanean]

I've had quite a bit of luck with nautilus (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=117) and hypno (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFeNYl-OK6Q) buns, even though I'm fairly new to bunning my hair on a regular basis. The hypno is pretty much the same as the nautilus, but with an extra step at the end. They both can hold with one hairstick.

[merseaone]

merseaone, that sounds pretty... and relatively easy, too. I'll have to remember that the next time I braid my hair and want it out of the way. The last few days I've just been wrapping it around my neck and tucking it under... like a coiling snake. Probably not wise, but oh well.

That is interesting because I just finished a picture of a Pixie with her heair coiled around her neck!

[Yozhik]

I was going to suggest what jasper did -- I love buns made out of braids (I think they're called rose buns :)). They also have really pretty bumps and eat up more length, as I understand it -- that way you wouldn't have to worry about taking down a bun 20 times for perfection, because it's not supposed to be smooth ;)

If you're worried about your hair being too heavy, why don't you bun your hair lower at the back of your neck. Or, you could do a bun to one side behind one of your ears -- that can look really glamorous!

[khan]

When you are at YouTube, be sure to check out JJJLonghair. She has hair to her feet! She uses a hair clip to great advantage. I love her styles.
:cheese:

[LadyLongLocks]

I have a dozen easy bun tutorials on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D3F1DC95BFBC63F4)

It makes it so much easier to learn watching a video demo...a big reason I joined youtube.
Hope you try some of mine :) Most work for multiple length hair.

Good luck:D

[LadyLongLocks]

When you are at YouTube, be sure to check out JJJLonghair. She has hair to her feet! She uses a hair clip to great advantage. I love her styles.
:cheese:

Thanks for recommending my videos Kahn :)
I have hair to my knees/top of calves...not feet:D
Like in my siggy...last pic on right.

[RachelRain]

okay, that's quite a lot of posts lol. thank you :)

1. holy cow that's a long list of buns. that should be fun.

2. I kind of like the hypno bun, although I need some practice with the hairsticks.

3. that sounds pretty, merseaone. I sort of got the idea after I somehow choked myself with my braid while I was sleeping. So now I joke with my boyfriend about how I can 'hang him with my hair', and if we have the snakes out of the cage, I'll braid it and wrap it around my neck and tuck it under so it doesn't get in his way while he's curling around my neck and under my arms.

4. I like the braid idea, although when I tried that earlier today when it was mentioned, I can't seem to quite pull my hair tight enough in the braid, but I'm sure I could get my mom to help with that when I go see her... that woman pulls my braids so tight I'm amazed any frizz is able to form at all.

And my braids always end up slightly to one side, for some reason... my boyfriend usually laughs at me for it cuz it actually tips my head more to that side, but if I could pull it high enough I'd be interested in trying the off centered bun.

5. I'll definitely be checking out those videos, especially if you use hairclips... I do have some that I threw in a drawer when I realized they were all just snapping in half, so it'd be nice to be able to use clips again.

My goal actually is to my knees - I told my boyfriend I'd cut it somewhat after it gets there, because as it is I usually need his help when I brush my hair to get all the snarls out.

About this terminal length thing... how exactly do you know when you've hit that? My Hair's thinner at the bottom of a braid than at the top, but not enough to make me think I've hit terminal, but yet I can't seem to get my hair to grow any longer than where it's at now.

I won't be trying anything tonight as I put that L'Oreal spray gel in my hair earlier... that stuff is like glue. It's almost impossible to brush out, so I have to go wash my hair earlier than I wanted... unless I can maybe get it out with just conditioner. Hm.